


Ophiophobia

by Miranda_tries_their_best



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, I REGRET NOTHING, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Snakes, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Virgil's a bit of a dick but immediately regrets it, i wrote this instead of working on the thing i was trying to work on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22374394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miranda_tries_their_best/pseuds/Miranda_tries_their_best
Summary: Deceit loves snakes, the perfect gift for him would be a snake. The lying side was very snake-themed after all and had responded so well to pictures and plushies of snakes that have been gifted to him before. Roman must have spent a lot of time creating such a perfect reptile with green and yellow scales, an obvious reference to his scaled and chosen color."C'mon snakes and ladders, you can hold her!" Roman steps forward with the little creature and Deceit has to bite his tongue to keep down the noise that almost escapes him, he can see Virgil practically shaking with repressed laughter in his peripheral.It would be such a lovely and thoughtful gift if Deceit wasn't also terrified of snakes.
Relationships: platonic anxceit
Comments: 18
Kudos: 277





	Ophiophobia

Deceit swallowed a lump in his throat as he stared at the very thoughtful gift Patton and Roman were presenting him. Logan watching the three of them fondly while Virgil was in his corner trying not to cackle, there was no doubt Virge hasn't seen this coming but there was no way to shoot the anxious side any sort of glare while Patton and Roman were eagerly waiting for him to take his gift.

"Oh, I can't possibly-!"

"Of course you can!" Patton counters him with a grin. "We made her just for you!"

The light sides have been working hard to include the dark sides in things, they'd invited him and Remus up for family dinners and movie nights. It was all so sweet even if they were a bit hesitant at first but they didn't go back on their word and soon the mistrust turned to fondness and a shaky friendship was formed.

"Really, I don't even have a proper enclosure for it." Deceit tried, his hands folded behind his back to hide the way they trembled.

Roman simply waves off that excuse. "I've already made one, you just need to take it to your room."

The gifts have been very nice. Deceit even attempted to give some in return but his true skills were more set up in creating activities for the sides which still went well appreciated, after all, you don't entertain Remus for years without learning a thing or two on how to distract someone.

"Ah, but it does get rather chilly in my room-"

"That'll be no problem." Logan cuts in. "I have already set up a heat lamp in the enclosure to ensure she will warm enough."

Deceit really couldn't turn away a gift from them, even if said gift stares at him with cold unblinking yellow eyes that match his. "This is- this is really all too kind, I don't know what to say!"

Deceit loves snakes, the perfect gift for him would be a snake. The lying side was very snake-themed after all and had responded so well to pictures and plushies of snakes that have been gifted to him before. Roman must have spent a lot of time creating such a perfect reptile with green and yellow scales, an obvious reference to his scaled and chosen color.

"C'mon snakes and ladders, you can hold her!" Roman steps forward with the little creature and Deceit has to bite his tongue to keep down the noise that almost escapes him, he can see Virgil practically shaking with repressed laughter in his peripheral.

It would be such a lovely and thoughtful gift if Deceit wasn't also terrified of snakes.

"Ah, it- she must be so stressed though! Maybe it's best to put her in that enclosure to give her some time to relax before I get all grabby with her." Thankfully Roman pauses because Deceit is having trouble breathing and may actually faint if that little creature gets any closer to him.

"She seems perfectly calm to me." Roman lifts the snake up to his face, grinning as it sticks out its tongue at him.

"Well, Roman. Obviously you know much more about snakes then I, a half-snake being, could possibly know." Deceit could see Logan's eyes light up with interest, no doubt wondering what sort of snake-like traits the side could share.

"Nah, Deceit. I don't feel a speck of nervousness from her." Virgil so helpfully cuts in, making the liar want to strangle him even more. "I think she's good to hold, right specs?"

"Indeed, she appears to be perfectly docile." Easy for Logic to say when the thing isn't staring into his soul.

Deceit freezes up as Roman comes to stand right next to him, he keeps a smile on his face as the fanciful side slips the snakes coils from around his arm and drapes the thing around his shoulders. It's choking him, the thing isn't even around his neck but Deceit can't breathe but his hands are frozen at his side because if he allows even an inch of movement he knows that it'll either strike his jugular or he'll throw this wonderfully thought out gift across the room and for some reason his own being means less than possibly hurting the light side's feelings because if he rejects this one gift then who knows what the others might do? How offended they'll be after putting in so much effort for him?

He mildly hears someone speaking, finally, his lungs demand air and he lets out a broken sob that immediately sets lose the tears building in his eyes. Almost immediately the weight of the snake is lifted off his shoulders and Deceit's legs give out from under him, the liar raising a hand to cover his mouth and muffle the pathetic noises that escape him.

"-ceit! Deceit!" The liar glances up to see Logan kneeling in front of him. "Breathe with me, it's okay-"

Deceit doesn't bother to stick around, sinking through the floor and appearing in his room to stumble into his bed and hug the little snake plushie as he desperately tries to make his lungs function again while ignoring the irony that is a snake toy comforting him after an encounter with a real snake.

Deceit's curled up under the blankets when he feels someone appear in his room, he doesn't need to look to immediately know who it is and the scaled side raises his hand out of the blanket to flip Virgil off.

It doesn't deter the anxious side though as he comes forward to sit at the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, fuck, don't be mad at the others, they didn't know." Deceit didn't turn to face him but soon felt a hand gently rub at his back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of let it get that far. I should have stopped it when Roman was gonna put it on you or like- I probably shouldn't of let them try to give a snake to you at all. I knew they freaked you out but I didn't think that you'd get that scared, I'm sorry."

Deceit almost felt bad for finding Virgil's worried ramblings comforting but that mixed with the soft pressure on his back helped the scale side catch his breath and almost relax. "It's fine, Virgil." The lying side shifted slightly, pulling the blanket from over his head and turning to look at the other side. "It was a mistake, it's okay. Now breathe, if you start panicking I'm kicking you out."

Virgil nods and starts counting his breath, following that pattern he was shown forever ago. Deceit is still pissed off but he pushes that down as surely Virgil will get his ear talked off by Patton once the others figure out what happened and as much as Deceit wants to hiss and yell to add to the other sides guilt, he is trying to be better even if it means swallowing his shame a little. "I'm sorry." The anxious side mumbles out once more before Deceit lifts the end of the blanket and invites him in.

Virgil wastes no time, crawling under and immediately wrapping Deceit up in his arms to cling onto him. It's more for Virgil's comfort, Deceit tells himself as his body totally doesn't relax when the other side runs his fingers through his hair. "I can never return to the light again." Deceit laments mournfully. "They'll never take me seriously after crying over a snake, my reputation is ruined."

A weak chuckle rumbles through Virgil's chest. "Welcome to friendship, they're going to baby you for at least a week and tease you even longer."

The lying side hums thoughtfully. "Speaking from experience?"

Virgil physically cringes. "I... May have cried in front of them during The Lion King 2 when Kovu was exiled."

Deceit nearly chokes again, this time laughing at the anxious side's dismay until Virgil shoves a pillow over his face to shut him up.

**Author's Note:**

> Me, in the middle of writing trying to write Roman's chapter of Symbiotic:
> 
> My brain: Write a oneshot where the other sides try to give Deceit a snake but Deceit is terrified of real snakes.
> 
> Me, having no self control: yeah, alright.


End file.
